When Rutgers walked in Monday, any visual evidence that they had pulled an upset victory over Miami the day before was erased from sight. The next step was erasing it from mind. That was quickly done when guard Mike Coburn — a veteran of three years of losing basketball here — spoke up.

His message: Okay, we beat Miami — big deal.

“He said, ‘We’ve only won two games,’” Rutgers coach Mike Rice said last night. “‘Let’s focus, do what we have to do and get to No. 3.’”

If there was any hangover following Sunday’s win over Miami, it didn’t show as Rutgers pounded Norfolk State, 83-59, at the RAC. Coburn and fellow senior guard James Beatty not only talked the talk, they walked the walk, too. Beatty scored 18 points, while Coburn added 12 and seven assists.

And where Rutgers may have stepped in a pothole in the past, last night was anything but.

“Coach even told us that we would be favored to win this game,” Beatty said. “He said that, ‘Even though you’re favored, you have to come out and you have to show that the game against Miami wasn’t a fluke.’ To come out and prove that we are a good team and we do work hard.

“We knew coming into the game that we couldn’t (look past) them, because if we gave them confidence, they could end up beating us. And then what would we have to say for ourselves?”

Fortunately for Rutgers, it never had to worry about answering that question. Instead of living off of Sunday’s celebration, the Scarlet Knights (3-1) immediately began pounding Norfolk State (1-3). Rutgers did most of its damage from the 3-point line, knocking down 9 of 16, with Beatty going 5-for-6.

Then there was what has become the trademark for Rice’s team: defense. Rutgers forced the Spartans to turn the ball over 18 times.

“It’s just the experience of knowing that after a big win, it’s really easy to let down for the next game,” Coburn said. “You’ve got to keep working. We’ve just got to stay focused for each game.”

Which is why any heightened expectations for this team will likely be brushed aside. Thanks to last night’s victory and 3-1 start, Rice has the best beginning for a Scarlet Knights head coach since Bob Wenzel in 1988-89. Of course, that year Wenzel inherited a downtrodden Rutgers program and wound up making a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic-10 conference tournament.

Wenzel is also the last coach to take Rutgers to the NCAA Tournament. But those are for the history books and not for this Rutgers group. Rice still knows that his group of just nine scholarship players needs improvement.

But Rice did like his team’s response to their first game as the favorite.

“It shows you some of the core of this team,” Rice said. “ It’s a very unselfish team. It’s a very team-oriented group. This team has a little bit of a hunger. They want to win. They want to prove people wrong.”

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